The world's largest
archipelago, Indonesia, is located in Southeast Asia. It is a
nation consiting of over 13,000 islands (some publications cite more than
17,000 islands). Only 6000 of these islands are inhabited. The islands
spread between the Indian and Pacific oceans, linking the continent of
Asia and Australia. The name Indonesia is composed of two Greek words:
"Indos" which means Indian and "nesos" which means islands.
In 1292, Marco
Polo became one of the first recorded Europeans to set foot on
the islands, but it wasn't until much later that the
Portuguese arrived in pursuit of spices.
In 1509, Portuguese trading posts were established in the strategic
commercial centre of Malacca on the Malay peninsula and it was from here
that they began to control trade Routes.
The Dutch followed at the turn of the
16th century and succeeded in ousting the Portuguese to the easternmost
islands where some ports were controlled by another major European power,
Spain. The Dutch expanded their control of the entire area into the 17th
and 18th centuries and retained it for the most part until the outbreak of
World War 11 in 1939. The Dutch East Indies, as it was known at this time,
fell under British rule for a short period during the Napoleonic Wars of
1811-1816, when Holland was occupied by France and Dutch power overseas
was limited. While under British control the Lt. Governor for Java and its
dependencies was Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who was known for his
liberal attitude towards the people under colonial rule and his research
on the history of Java. With the return of the Dutch a relative calm was
interrupted by long and bloody wars launched by the local people against
the Dutch colonial government. It was from this period that the
independence movements of the 20th century, became stronger and more
purposeful. The surrender of the Japanese in 1945
signalled the end of the Second World War in Asia and also the
start of independence. In the wake of global perceptions of freedom,
Indonesia proclaimed its independence on August 17 that same year.
But the returning Dutch bitterly resisted
Indonesian nationalist movements and intermittent fighting followed. Under
the auspices of the United Nations at the Hague, an agreement was finally
reached on December 9, 1949, It was
from this time that Indonesia's sovereignty over the former Dutch East
Indies was officially recognized. Current issues include: implementing
IMF-mandated reforms of the banking sector, effecting a transition to a
popularly elected government after four decades of authoritarianism,
addressing charges of cronyism and corruption, holding the military
accountable for human rights violations, and resolving growing separatist
pressures in Aceh and Irian Jaya. On 30 August 1999 a provincial
referendum for independence was overwhelmingly approved by the people of
Timor Timur. Concurrence followed by Indonesia's national legislature, and
the name East Timor was provisionally adopted. The independent status of
East Timor - now under UN administration - has yet to be formally
established.
The five main
islands are: Sumatra,
which is about 473,606 sq. km. In size; the most fertile and densely
populated islands,
Java/Madura, 132,107 sq. km;
Kalimantan,
which comprises two-thirds of the island of Borneo and measures 539,460
sq. km; Sulawesi,
189,216 sq. km; and Irian
Jaya, 421,981 sq. km, which
is part of the world’s second larges island, New Guinea. Indonesia’s other
islands are smaller in size.
The
archipelago is divided into
three groups. The island of
Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan, and the small islands in-between, lie on the
Sunda Shelf which begin on the coasts of Malaysia and Indo China, where
the sea depth does not exceed 700 feet, Irian Jaya which is part of the
island of New Guinea, and the Aru Islands le on the Sahul Shelf, which
stretches northwards from the Australian coast. Here the sea depth is
similar to that of the Sunda Shelf.
Located
between these two shelves is the
island group of Nusatenggara, Maluku
and Sulawesi, where the sea
depth reaches 15.000 feet. Coastal plains have been developed around the
islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Irian Jaya.The land area is
generally covered by thick tropical rain forests, where fertile soils are
continuously replenished by volcanic eruptions like those on the island of
Java. The country is predominantly mountainous with some
400 volcanoes,
of which 100 are active. Mountains higher than 9.000 feet are found on the
islands of Sumatra (Mt. Leuser and Mt. Kerinci), Java (Mt. Gede, Mt.
Tangkubanperahu, Mt. Ciremai, Mt. Kawi, Mt. Kelud, Mt. Semeru and Mt.
Raung), Sulawesi ((Mt. Lompobatang and Mt. Rantekombala), Bali (M. Batur
and Mt. Agung), Lombok (Mt. Rinjani), and Sumbawa (Mt. Tambora). The
highest mountain is the perpetually snow-capped Mandala Top (15.300 feet)
in the Jaya Wijaya mountain range of Irian Jaya.
Indonesia abounds in
monuments of the past. There are the temples of the Buddhist and Hindu
dynasties; Hindu temples of Prambanan and the Dieng Plateau, the "kraton"
(palace) of sultans in Surakarta, Yogyakarta, the Maimun palace of the
Sultanate of Deli (in Medan), the Hall of Justice in Bali, ruins of
ancient fortresses and museums, mosques and churches steeped in folklore.
Graves of past royalty and national heroes are also monuments whereas many
war graves of World War II still hold a certain interest. The main
destination areas contain many of these places of interest which are
easily accessible.
The nation's
capital, Jakarta, has a fascinating and significant history. It
started as a small harbour town called Sunda Kelapa, but its founding
dates back to the year 157 when it was named Jayakarta by Fatahillah of
the neighbouring Sultanate of Banten. The name Jayakarta means City of
Great Victory but this was later changed to Batavia under the Dutch. Now
as Jakarta, the centre of government, business and industry, it spreads
over an area of more than 650 sq.km 1410 sq miles) and has a population of
over eight million people. It is also designated as a special territory,
(Daerah Khusus Ibukota - DKI), which means that is is administered by a
governor and enjoys the same status of a province.
Jakarta is the main gateway to Indonesia. It is a contrast of modern
western architecture and traditional Indonesian culture. Its rapid growth
into a metropolitan city reflects the economic, political, social and
industrial development of the nation. In recent years, Jakarta has
expanded its facilities for visitors with multi-star luxury hotels, fine
restaurants, exciting nightlife and modern shopping centres as well as
tourist attractions such as Taman Mini Indonesia Indah {Beautiful
Indonesia in Miniature Park), restored colonial period buildings, marine
resorts in the Bay of Jakarta, and an extensive beach recreation complex |
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